Exactly where the name Schanigarten came from will always remain a mystery. What is certain, however, is that these often lovingly designed bar areas outdoors are a real enrichment for the cityscape. And a benefit for the joie de vivre of the people of Munich anyway. Some people who would like to park their car right in front of the front door and whose parking bays are suddenly full of tables, chairs and benches see things differently, and business owners and suppliers have also developed their own opinions.
Now, when the temperatures are slowly climbing back up to over 20 degrees Celsius (on Saturday the sun is finally supposed to shine again), many are looking forward to the sidewalk café – and the restaurateurs get their cushions, blankets, lights, Bring out potted plants and decorations from last summer, set up wooden pallets, decorate them with raffia and bamboo.
Actually, they were created out of necessity, these small gastronomic islands on Munich’s streets. In the summer of 2020, the expanded outdoor areas should help the catering trade to get through the pandemic better. For many companies, the additional space was essential for survival after the lockdown and contact restrictions phases. More sales, more distance – the tables could also be set up more widely to reduce the possible risk of infection. There are now around 650 sidewalk cafés in the city.
The small sidewalk cafés can be found all over the city – for example in the “Vinaiolo” on Steinstrasse,…
(Photo: Mark Siaulys Pfeiffer)
…in front of the “Gute Nacht Wurst” in Klenzestrasse…
(Photo: Mark Siaulys Pfeiffer)
…or in front of “München72” in Holzstraße.
(Photo: Mark Siaulys Pfeiffer)
The provisional situation has long since become a nice permanent situation: With the decision of the city council in May 2021, the sidewalk cafés remained and may be operated from April up to and including September.
And where does the name come from? The term is closely linked to Viennese coffee house culture. There was, for example, the Italian Giovanni “Gianni” Taroni, who once set up an outdoor dining area in front of his café. This was so well received by the Viennese population that many restaurateurs followed his example. So did “Giannis Garten” become the sidewalk café? But it could also have been like this: Schani is a common term for waiters in Vienna, originally derived from the French first name Jean. Or is Schani a syllable shortening of “Just look”? This theory exists because the bar areas outside were and are freely visible.